HomeBlogThe superpower of the user journey map

The superpower of the user journey map

One of a UX designer's critical responsibilities is understanding their user's needs, desires, and motivations. The best UX designers use every tool possible to engage their users and empathize with them so they can understand their experience relative to the product they're building.

One of the best tools to achieve this is a journey map.

User journey maps are visual aids that help outline a user's experience with a product, service, or feature. If you genuinely want to understand your users and enhance their experiences with your products, you need to use journey maps.

What is a user journey map?

A user journey map is a visual representation depicting a user's journey to achieve a goal.

Visually, a user journey map typically follows this pattern:

1. At the top, there's a specific persona or user along with the scenario and the goals the persona has for the scenario.

2. The middle includes the user's phases in the scenario and their thoughts and feelings.

3. And at the bottom are the insights and opportunities gleaned from the user journey map.

The user journey mapping process allows product teams to examine every step a user takes through a shared experience. It provides insights into what works and doesn't work from the user's perspective. It's one of the best tools for visualizing a user experience and uncovering pain points and moments of pleasure.

Looking closer at the details, user journey maps provide various qualitative benefits, such as:

· Increasing empathy for the user across teams

· Understanding differences between users as they move through their journeys

· Validating the user's expectations measures against their actual experiences

· Optimizing individual stages in the user journey

Our next station is types of user journey maps.

At their core, journey maps are about understanding the user experience. But because every business is different, the approach each takes to create its maps varies. These variations depend on what they're hoping to understand about their users. And those users' experiences as well as business goals.

Current state journey maps

When people familiar with UX think of journey maps, they probably think of current state maps. The most common kind of map they're all about the experience a user has in the present. They're the current state of a product or service being examined. But they're what users think and feel when they experience something in the here and now.

Current state maps are best for teams looking to improve on established experiences. They examine existing pain points and concerns your users have with your products and services, so they're perfect for identifying and understanding user pain points.

Day in the life journey maps

A day in the life map also focuses on existing experiences your users have, but it takes a more holistic approach. These maps consider the experiences a user has throughout their day — not just with your brand's offerings but with other products, services, and experiences in their daily life.

Future state journey maps

Future state maps concern how users think and feel about a future experience. Compared to other maps, they're more creative and innovative than data-driven and focused more on a user's hopes and desires. Their purpose is more about creating future experiences for the user and understanding how they'll think and feel about those experiences.

Blueprint journey maps

Blueprint maps, sometimes called service blueprints, are more abstract journey maps. They start with simplified versions of other maps and then build on them with systems, policies, processes, and other technologies that impact the user's experience.

Most of the time, they're built on current or future state maps. When built using current state maps, they can provide insights into the root causes of user pain points and concerns. With future maps, they can help you understand what kind of infrastructure of people and technology you'll need to facilitate the goal experience.

How to create a user journey map from scratch

Building a user journey map is different for every team and every situation, so there aren't any one-size-fits-all templates. But some elements common to all journey maps get the ball rolling when you set out to build your own.

You'll need to figure out

· User persona: Who's the focus of this journey map? A journey map should focus on just one perspective

· Scenario: What's the scenario you're looking at? Describe in detail the situation the user is experiencing

· Goals and Expectations: What are the user's goals and expectations? Describe their needs and motivations

‍Define the stages

You'll need to define each stage of the journey you'll map. An excellent way to do this is to flesh out the first and last stages of the experience and then start filling in the gaps.

Be sure each stage you add is meaningful.

Define the actions

Building off of each stage, you can start defining the actions your user takes during each one. Again, focus on meaningful actions. Hone in on your users' steps to progress from stage to stage.

Consider all touchpoints

Be sure to take note of every interaction the user has during their journey, including any people, products, services, or tools they encounter or use. This is important for understanding the user's mental state and identifying opportunities for improving the experience with additional or new offerings.

You'll also want to take note of the channels your users engage on. You can refer back to the user persona for insights on this.

Empathize and categorize

Next, hop into your user's shoes and ask yourself what they think and feel as they take action. You can uncover insights into how your users react during each stage of their experience by creating an empathy map.

At this point, you can begin categorizing different concepts, feelings, and ideas.

Create the map

Journey maps are creative documents. Some are straightforward, while others are more polished. If you need help figuring out where to start design-wise, the Interaction Design Foundation has some free templates to get you moving. So go ahead - register at their website and try them.

Typically though, a journey map has three areas:

· The top section of the map describes the persona and experience on which the map focuses.

· The middle area covers the actions and corresponding thoughts and feelings relevant to each stage of the experience.

· The bottom is reserved for recording insights for each stage of the journey and any other relevant ideas or discoveries

To cut a long story short. The superpower of the user journey map is the ability to understand users deeply and help create experiences that empower them.

Elevate Your Fashion Experience: Introducing Luvelle Luxury Fashion Retail Platform

Do you remember the movie "The Devil Wears Prada"? Watching it makes you feel fully immersed in fashion and style. Today, thanks to technology, you don't necessarily have to go to a trendy boutique to choose luxury and experience the feeling of being like Meryl Streep on the set of the film, surrounded by a whirlwind of top brands.

We want to introduce you to the Luvelle Luxury Fashion Retail Platform, which has been developed to help users find any designer item quickly, easily, and all in one place. The platform is designed with a clean, minimalistic, and simple style.

For this project, two primary objectives were established to be accomplished through the design processes:

  1. Developing a user interface for an eCommerce app to enable users to locate and purchase various designer items online efficiently.
  2. Crafting a visual design that accurately embodies the brand's identity and effectively communicates with the intended audience.

Designed for individuals with discerning tastes and substantial income, this app provides a convenient solution for accessing a diverse collection of original designer items within a single platform. Through a mobile interface, users are presented with a comprehensive display of products, complete with filtering options and seamless purchasing capabilities. The flexibility of this product accommodates various usage scenarios, fitting into users' schedules during commutes, lunchbreaks, and weekends. This accessibility empowers users to shop effortlessly from any online location, mainly catering to those with busy lifestyles and limited time for in-person shopping.

Embodying the brand's identity and enhancing user intuitiveness, the app's design adopted a minimalist approach, streamlining navigation and accentuating product presentation. This was achieved by ensuring users could easily access essential details directly on the product page, such as images, prices, and size charts. In addition, the app boasts a comprehensive user profile encompassing personal and shipping information, along with order history.

An integral component of the design process, creating a detailed style guide goes beyond fonts and colors, serving as a tool to maintain consistency and organization among team members. This practice facilitates the current project and provides future support for clients' endeavors, including marketing campaigns or rebranding initiatives.

Central to effective design, comprehending the user's profile through thorough research is imperative in tailoring the product to meet the specific needs and preferences of the target audience. Equally essential is the construction of a robust sales funnel within the eCommerce app, strategically guiding users through stages that inform, engage, and drive them to purchase, fostering both initial transactions and returning engagements.

Crucially, a product's usability is on par with its design, and user testing is the linchpin for this aspect. This process ensures that user issues are addressed, design flaws are rectified, and the overall experience aligns with user desires and expectations. In this holistic approach, every facet of the app's development is meticulously assessed to deliver a user-centered, functional, and visually pleasing digital experience.

And finally, to conclude, Luvelle was chosen to be showcased in The Best Luxury App Designs by Design Rush, a platform recognized for its promotion of app designs.

‍

Read more

How to use the psychology of color in Web Design?

Fun fact: the decision to buy or not to buy a product depends on the color by 62%-90%. Everything we see and perceive in advertisements is intended to attract the public's attention and awaken certain emotions toward a specific product.

Here are some interesting conclusions from recent research.

Pink — if your target audience is women, then it's perfect. This color is usually associated with female youth, innocence, romance, and lightness. It is playful and remains chewing gum.

Blue — symbolizes reliability and creates a feeling of coolness. Best suits for sites about education, finance, or government fees.

Red — associated with passion, power, and sometimes anger. It can be used as a warning or to show danger, but it can also indicate strength, determination, and courage. It also is good to use for a "call to action."

Green — the color of peace, tranquility, and nature. It can give users a sense of calm and optimism. Dark shades are more associated with money, so sites that want to offer growth and stability often use them. Also, lightshades are associated with spring, so websites that express relaxation, freshness, and honesty also like to add green.

Yellow In marketing, yellow means a healthy mind without worries and depressive thoughts. It is best suited for online stores that sell children's clothing and toys. People learn to associate yellow with the sun at a very early age, so it evokes a feeling of warmth and happiness. Darker shades may be associated with wisdom and curiosity.

Purple — it is all about elegance and sophistication. This color is perfect for a niche website with luxury products.

Gold — like metal, it represents power and prestige. Gold goes well with other colors that symbolize elegance: green and purple.

Now you know the primary color's characteristics that will help to create a web design that will suit your specific business.

Read more

Healthcare Solution Development Services: A Guide to Selecting a Reliable Provider

In this article, we will explore the importance of selecting a reliable service provider for healthcare solution development, key players in the market, factors to consider when choosing a service provider, and why Ukrainian outsourcing companies are increasingly popular for developing healthcare solutions globally.

Importance of Selecting a Reliable Service Provider

Healthcare solutions play a crucial role in providing efficient and effective healthcare services. Developing these solutions requires expertise, innovation, and experience, which is why selecting a reliable service provider is essential.

A provider that has a strong understanding of the healthcare industry, a track record of successful projects, and utilizes cutting-edge methodologies and technology is more likely to deliver a solution that meets the specific needs of healthcare providers. Furthermore, the provider must ensure the solution is secure and complies with industry regulations such as HIPAA. This is of utmost importance, as healthcare solutions are often used to manage sensitive patient information and improve patient care.

Failure to select a reliable service provider can lead to security breaches, non-compliance with regulations, and ineffective patient care. By choosing a provider with a strong reputation, healthcare providers can ensure they receive a high-quality solution that meets their needs and protects their patients' sensitive information.

Key Players in the Healthcare Solution Development Market

The healthcare solution development industry has many players, each offering unique services and solutions. Some of the biggest names in the market:

  1. IBM Watson Health - IBM Watson Health is a leading healthcare technology provider offering various solutions, including electronic health records, data analytics, and population health management.
  2. Cerner - Cerner is a major player in the healthcare IT market and provides various solutions, including electronic health records, revenue cycle management, and population health management.
  3. Epic Systems - Epic Systems is a leading provider of electronic health records, revenue cycle management, and patient engagement solutions. The company has a large and loyal customer base, including many of the largest healthcare organizations in the United States.
  4. Allscripts - Allscripts is a leading provider of electronic health records, practice management, and revenue cycle management solutions. The company has a strong presence in the small to the medium-sized healthcare market and is known for its user-friendly solutions.
  5. Meditech - Meditech is a well-established provider of electronic health records and other healthcare IT solutions. The company has a large and loyal customer base, including many rural and community hospitals.

The healthcare solution development industry is home to a diverse range of players, including well-established tech firms and specialized healthcare solution providers. These companies offer a spectrum of solutions and services to cater to the needs of healthcare organizations of different scales.

Choosing a service provider that aligns with your organization's specific requirements is crucial in this sea of choices. Alongside these large players, smaller, more agile providers, such as Codebridge, offering specialized expertise and a tailored approach to healthcare solution development. While Codebridge may not have the same level of market presence as the larger players, their personalized and focused approach may make them a strong option for organizations seeking a more customized solution.

Essential Factors to Consider When Choosing a Healthcare Solution Development Service Provider

Choosing the right service provider is crucial for the success of your healthcare solution. There are several important factors to consider when evaluating potential providers, including:

  • Healthcare Industry Expertise: Ensure that the service provider deeply understands the healthcare industry and can offer a tailored solution to meet your unique needs and challenges.
  • Proven Track Record: Look for a provider with a proven track record of delivering successful projects and satisfied clients. Review their portfolio of completed projects to assess their expertise and experience.
  • Methodologies and Technology: Assess the provider's use of methodologies and technology. Ensure they use industry-standard approaches and the latest technology to develop cutting-edge solutions.
  • Flexibility and Scalability: Consider the provider's ability to adapt to changes and grow with your organization. Ensure that their solutions can be easily scaled up or down as needed.
  • Customer Support and Post-Deployment Services: Consider the level of support and services the provider offers post-deployment. This will help ensure a smooth and successful implementation and long-term success of your healthcare solution.

Compliance in Healthcare Solution Development

Compliance is critical to healthcare solution development, as healthcare solutions handle sensitive patient information that must be protected. To protect patient data, healthcare solutions must comply with various regulations and standards, such as HIPAA in the United States and GDPR in the European Union.

A service provider needs to thoroughly understand the compliance requirements for each country where the solution will be used. The provider should also have the necessary experience and processes to ensure that the solution complies with all relevant regulations and standards, including those related to data privacy, security, and data protection.

In addition to compliance with regulations and standards, a service provider should also have a track record of delivering solutions compliant with industry-specific standards, such as ICD-10 for medical coding and billing and DICOM for medical imaging.

By working with a service provider that has a deep understanding of the compliance requirements for healthcare solutions, organizations can ensure that their solution is secure and compliant, allowing them to focus on providing the best possible care for their patients.

Why Ukrainian Outsourcing Companies are Becoming Increasingly Popular for Developing Healthcare Solutions

Providing efficient and effective patient care is critical in today's fast-paced healthcare industry. Developing healthcare solutions that meet the unique needs of healthcare providers is crucial to achieving this goal. That's why many companies worldwide are turning to Ukrainian outsourcing companies to develop their healthcare solutions. These companies are known for their expertise in the healthcare industry, innovative approach, high-quality work, and cost-effectiveness.

One of the leading Ukrainian outsourcing companies in the healthcare solution development market is Codebridge. With a strong reputation for delivering complex solutions on time and within budget, Codebridge has helped numerous healthcare providers improve their patient care. By leveraging their expertise in the healthcare industry and innovative approach, Codebridge provides top-notch solutions that meet the specific needs of healthcare providers.

It is also worth mentioning that Ukrainian outsourcing companies are known for their strict adherence to industry regulations, such as HIPAA. Ensuring that a healthcare solution is secure and compliant with industry regulations is critical to the success of a healthcare provider. Ukrainian outsourcing companies have a proven track record of delivering solutions compliant with these regulations, ensuring that healthcare providers can focus on their primary goal of providing excellent patient care.

In conclusion, developing healthcare solutions is essential to the success of healthcare providers. By selecting a reliable service provider, such as Ukrainian outsourcing companies like Codebridge, healthcare providers can ensure that their solutions meet their unique needs, are secure, and comply with industry regulations. In addition, the growing popularity of Ukrainian outsourcing companies for developing healthcare solutions highlights the expertise, quality of work, and commitment to customer satisfaction that these companies can deliver.

Read more

5 rules for effective quality assurance

We enjoy discussing with our team some hacks they developed during their daily work. Those tips are the most useful, and by the way, it is very similar to one of the Amazon rules, when they do not allow defects to "swim with the flow." Popularizing personal tips of our employees is like a method to eliminate the mistake and not allow scale it to the entire company.

So we asked our Junior QA Engineer, Lelia Vlasenko, to share her insights about the quality assurance engineer position. By the way, Lelia is a switcher; her previous experience was connected with logistics, but last six months, she experienced a new job and each month brought her new rule on how to make her working processes more productive.

- During the first month, nothing will introduce you to the project like writing test cases from the UI part; you immediately dive in and understand where everything is and how it is connected.

- In the second month, there should always be ordered bug reports; even an entirely off-topic person should reproduce what is written and understand what the bug is and what works as per the requirements.

- In the third month, questions and questions again. Asking them and clarifying if the answer is unclear will help them get a response and consider whether this is precisely what the customer wanted.

- In the fourth month, learning how to write a traceability matrix is necessary. It is much easier when you know for sure that test cases cover all functional requirements. It is also important not to exaggerate; for example, no more than 3 test cases for one requirement.

- In the fifth month, write a plan for the day and the week. Be sure to spend an hour learning something new or watch videos from saved bookmarks. Emotionally, it frees your thoughts; you stop being nervous that something will be forgotten, and you follow a convenient plan.

We are sure that these tips can ensure the high quality of the new products and be helpful for those who deal with quality assurance processes.

‍

Read more

2023 UI/UX Design Trends

New year times brought us new trends in design. We have found TOP-8 changing tendencies and are happy to share them with you.

Dark-Anti Mode

Despite looking more unusual and unique, it increasesreading speed and keeps users longer on your website or app (Developers sayit's easier on the eye for prolonged periods). The technical benefit is DarkMode may also help you save battery life (saves up to 60% battery life, evenwith 100% brightness).

Custom and Animated Cursors

The Mouse cursor is a significant part of every screen, andthe user's interaction with the UI is mainly the same as the usage of cursors.It's trendy to use Custom and Animated cursor. It helps to improve userinteraction.

Mobile First Design / Approach

The Mobile first approach is when we start designing theproduct for the mobile version and end up with a tablet or desktop. Here is areason why:

Mobile internet usage takeover desktop usage, so peoplespend more time on the internet from mobile. As a result, a person is morelikely to first find your site or app from his/her phone.

Advanced Micro-Interactions

Micro-interaction is small, preferably functional animationsthat support the user by giving visual feedback and displaying changes moreclearly. This can highly improve your customer experience of using yourproduct.

90s Retro style

If you are the 60s, 70s, or 80s child heart, you will behappy to know that Retro Design is still alive and popular!

Popular series like Stranger Things appeared in 2019 andbrought 80s nostalgia back into the mainstream, ushering in an era of gothicserifs, neon colors, and vaporwave landscapes. In 2022, the retro comebackfinally landed in the 90s, and it continually smashed on the 2023 products.

Minimalism

Minimalism is achieved using a monochrome color palette, andbold font turns. The product companies choose the severity of the interfaces,emphasizing the static nature, elitism, and the high quality of their servicesand products.

Immersive parallax Scrolling

Parallax effects involve a website's background moving at adifferent speed than the foreground content.

While parallax effects can make websites feel moreinteractive and engaging, it's important to note that excessive movement withinparallax effects can cause harm for those with vestibular disorders ordisorientation.

3D Interactive Objects

Now it's not only static graphics but also animated 3Dgraphics. The movement of objects on the scroll or user action and itsmind-blowing combination of 3D objects in design compositions, the user lovesto see and make them stay longer.

‍

Read more